IL TEMPO DELLE CILIEGIE

PEOPLE HAVE ASKED WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CILIEGIE AND AMARENE? WELL, CILIEGIE ARE SWEET, PRUNUS AVIUM AND FRUIT A BIT EARLIER. AMARENE ARE SOUR, PRUNUS CERASUS AND FRUIT LATER. THERE ARE FURTHER SUB-VARIETIES OF EACH. THE FABBRI FAMILY OF BOLOGNA CULTIVATED A PARTICULAR SOUR AMARENA IN THE LATE 19 C. THEY PERFECTED THEIR LIGHT COOKING WITH SUGAR TO GIVE AN AMAZING TANG: PERFECT CONTRAST WITH ICE-CREAM OR WHIPPED-CREAM. AMARENE FABBRI WENT COMMERCIAL IN 1905. THEY'RE STILL GOING STRONG AND OWNED BY THE SAME FAMILY. HOORAY! LONG LIVE SMALL ARTISANAL BUSINESSES!

IL TEMPO DELLE CILIEGIE IS A NOVEL PUBLISHED LAST YEAR BY GIANLIVIO FASCIANO. IT TAKES ITS NAME AND SUBJECT FROM THE PARIS COMMUNE OF 1871 WHERE 'LE TEMPS DES CERISES' WAS A RALLYING SONG ABOUT THE GOOD 'DAYS OF CHERRIES' TO COME.

OUR 'FRIENDS' MONET, MANET, RIMBAUD AND FANTIN LATOUR LIVED THROUGH THE COMMUNE OF 1871 (AND THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR BEFORE IT), IN DIFFERENT WAYS. I THINK MONET WAS IN LONDON, MANET AND DEGAS WERE 'OUT OF TOWN' AND FANTIN LATOUR HID IN HIS BASEMENT. WHEREAS RIMBAUD (AT AGE 16) WENT TO PARIS TO JOIN THE COMMUNARDS.